Monday, June 17, 2013

Early Thoughts: To misquote Simon and Garfunkel: "Hello silence my old friend...." But is that really how we approach silence?

How much silence do you find in your life? How much silence to you invite into your life?

Silence is more or less an urban legend for most of us these days. Many of us always have the radio, or a CD, or the television on to provide background noise to our lives. And then there is all that other background noise that we just can't escape. But what would be the benefit of more silence?

Would more silence be oppressive or freeing? Would we welcome it or fear it? (or possibly both)

It is my belief that we need more silence, we need more times to sit and listen and reflect. All too often the constant background noise contributes to my busy-ness, it reduces my ability or inclination to sit and reflect and ponder.

Scripture (which was written in a time when silence may have been easier to find) is clear that silent times are a good thing. Silence times are part of how Jesus re-energizes himself. Silence times are sometimes how we become aware of God's presence.

I encourage us to find silence times.

Now of course there would be something highly ironic about a service that talked about silence but did not include it. (Let us be honest and admit that most United Church, most Protestant churches for that matter, have very little silence in our worship -- we seek to fill almost every minute with words of some sort) So this week we will have a time of silent meditation interspersed with the Lord's Prayer.
--Gord